1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for enhancing the performance of fossil fuel combustion systems through the use of ion vapors, and more specifically to such an apparatus and method for use in a turbocharger-equipped internal combustion engine.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The presence of measurable amounts of water vapor is known to have the catalytic effect of improving the efficiency of various combustion processes, as is described in Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, 4th Edition FE, page 1501. For many years, and particularly in the last 20 years, bubbling and other types of vapor generators have been used effectively to improve the performance of internal combustion engines. Examples of vapor generators usable to enhance fossil fuel combustion efficiency are shown in applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,862,189, 4,016,837, 4,410,467, and 4,952,340. Additionally, a research report of the inventor's prior ion vapor technology is given in Nelson, K.L. et al, "Augmentation of Gas-Phase Combustion By Bubbling Combustion Air Through Air," Proceedings of Alternate Energy Sources IV; Hydrocarbon Technology Environment (Ann Arbor, Mich. Vol. 6 1982, pp. 273-289. In all of the arrangements described in these publications, the exact mechanisms by which ion vapor enhances combustion efficiency has never been fully understood, nor is it understood now. Combustion is an extremely complex chemical process.
The use of ion vapor, however, has been shown to not be quite as effective in improving the performance of turbocharger equipped engines as when used in conventional engines. The exact technical and scientific reasons for this are not entirely understood. It is thought, however, that the major factors contributing toward the noticeably reduced effects of ion vapors on the performance of turbocharger-equipped engines are pressure gradients and turbulence created in the air stream by the turbocharger's air compressor wheel. For reasons not entirely understood, these effects seem to interfere with the catalytic effects that ordinarily accompany the vapors. This problem is not appreciated in the prior art and no method or apparatus has been provided therein to alleviate this problem.